The 416 Project Shows Toronto Art is Everywhere

Look up Toronto! The 416 Project is popping-up on utility poles scattering pint-sized art across Toronto and transforming the city into one giant art gallery. The best part is you can take one home!

What started as a social experiment with three paintings, local artist, actor and filmmaker Jorge Molina has now created 416 pieces of art that he plans to display in Toronto neighbourhoods by the end of spring.

Inspired by manhole covers, hydro poles, traffic signs and other utilitarian objects that line our streets, it’s Molina’s hope that each of his six-by-six paintings brightens up the day of passerby.

“If I stick them outside, then I get a chance for everyone to see it. I just wanted to put a smile on everyone’s faces. It just brightens things up” he said on CBC’s Metro Morning.

But looking isn’t everything. Each piece is free for the taking, and Molina hopes to track where each piece ends up via social media. Molina only asks they remain out in public for at least a few weeks before they are taken, so more people can enjoy them.

Three neighbourhoods are now live, including Molina’s west end neighbourhood of Swansea and The Beaches in the east.

Check out The 416 Project map to see all of the pieces and to track the projects progress. Or better yet, hit the streets and see what you can find. Happy art hunting!